Sprint Cup Series On FOX From Kansas Speedway

The burden of being Dale Earnhardt Jr. will once again be on display at the Kansas Speedway. This race seems to be yet another aero-dependent track that may feature pit road and track position as the keys to winning. NASCAR would love nothing better than if Jr. finished high enough in the race to take the points lead.

The sport needs a shot in the arm and it will be a surprise if this track can provide it. FOX rolls out the usual suspects today with no changes in the starting line-up. The weather is windy and cold for this late in the season and there was heavy rain last night that will result in a green track for the drivers.

Pre-race will again feature the Waltrip brothers. FOX loves controversy and these two have been providing it for fans. Darrell has been in full salesman mode repping the sport while Michael has been dropping sponsor mentions for his teams while avoiding the sponsors of others. It's just what FOX wanted.

Mike Joy will call the event with Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Pit road will feature Krista Voda, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Dick Berggren. Jeff Hammond will be the roving reporter.

"Hyper-tight" production has been in full swing. FOX famously showed only the first and second place cars finishing at Martinsville while missing Junior and a snarling pack battling for 3rd and beyond. This week, unless there is a late restart, may feature a single-file finish and perhaps a strung-out field. Keep your eye on the finish coverage.

We will be hosting a live stream on Twitter using the hashtag #TDP1. Just type that into the Twitter.com search box to see our live stream and add it to the end of your tweets to be included. There will be a  post here for comments immediately after the race and new columns all this week. Thanks.